Alexander Noble Hall (3 December 1880 – 25 September 1943), sometimes known as Sandy Hall,[4] was a professional soccer player who played as a centre forward in the Scottish League for Dunfermline Athletic, Dundee, Motherwell and St Bernard's.[1][5] Born in Scotland, he was a part of Canada's gold medal-winning 1904 Olympic team and finished the tournament as joint-top scorer,[6] with three goals.[7] The goals came in the form of a hat-trick in a 7–0 win over the United States, represented by Christian Brothers College.[8]
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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Full name | Alexander Noble Hall[1] | |||||||||||||
Date of birth | 3 December 1880[2] | |||||||||||||
Place of birth | Aberdeen, Scotland[2] | |||||||||||||
Date of death | 25 September 1943[3] | (aged 62)|||||||||||||
Place of death | Toronto, Ontario, Canada[3] | |||||||||||||
Position(s) | Centre forward | |||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
1898–1901 | Peterhead | |||||||||||||
1901 | Buckie Thistle | |||||||||||||
1902–1903 | Toronto Scots | |||||||||||||
1904 | Galt | |||||||||||||
1905 | Westmount | |||||||||||||
1905 | Aberdeen | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
1905–1906 | Peterhead | |||||||||||||
1906–1907 | St Bernard's | 10 | (12) | |||||||||||
1907–1908 | Newcastle United | 6 | (2) | |||||||||||
1908–1910 | Dundee | 25 | (8) | |||||||||||
1910–1911 | Portsmouth | |||||||||||||
1911–1912 | Motherwell | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||
1912–1915 | Dunfermline Athletic | 68 | (33) | |||||||||||
1920–1923 | Peterhead | |||||||||||||
Mimico Beach | ||||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||
1904 | Canada Olympic | 2 | (3) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Personal life
editBorn in Aberdeen and growing up in Peterhead, Hall played amateur football and worked as a stonecutter locally before emigrating to Canada in 1901.[4] He returned to Scotland in 1905 and became a professional footballer in 1906.[4] In 1912, the Carnegie Hero Fund and the Royal Humane Society recognised Hall with awards for bravery, for his rescuing of a child from Peterhead harbour.[4] While a player with Dunfermline Athletic prior to the First World War, he also served as the club's groundsman.[4] During the war, Hall served in the Royal Garrison Artillery, the Royal Engineers, the Tank Corps and married his wife,[9] with whom he had three children.[4] The family emigrated to Toronto in 1923 and he worked at Wellington Destructor.[4][10] Hall died in Toronto on 25 September 1943.[3]
In 1983, Hall's youngest son Tom was the world's first recipient of a successful single lung transplant.[6]
Career statistics
editClub
editClub | Season | League | National cup[a] | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
St Bernard's | 1906–07[5] | Scottish Second Division | 10 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 7[b] | 4 | 17 | 16 |
Newcastle United | 1907–08[11] | First Division | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ― | 6 | 2 | |
Dundee | 1907–08[5] | Scottish First Division | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ― | 5 | 3 | |
1908–09[5] | Scottish First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 3 | 0 | ||
1909–10[5] | Scottish First Division | 19 | 8 | 5 | 4 | ― | 24 | 12 | ||
Total | 25 | 8 | 7 | 7 | ― | 32 | 15 | |||
Motherwell | 1911–12[5] | Scottish First Division | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ― | 16 | 0 | |
Dunfermline Athletic | 1912–13[5] | Scottish Second Division | 25 | 18 | 7 | 0 | ― | 32 | 18 | |
1913–14[5] | Scottish Second Division | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | 27 | 11 | |
1914–15[5] | Scottish Second Division | 22 | 4 | ― | 1[b] | 0 | 23 | 4 | ||
Total | 68 | 33 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 82 | 33 | |||
Career total | 120 | 55 | 19 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 153 | 66 |
- ^ Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup
- ^ a b c Appearances in Scottish Qualifying Cup
International
editNational team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Canada Olympic | 1904 | 2 | 3 |
Total | 2 | 3 |
- Scores and results list Canada Olympic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hall goal.
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 November 1904 | World's Fair Stadium, St. Louis, United States | Christian Brothers College | 1–0 | 7–0 | 1904 Summer Olympics | [8] |
2 | ?–0 | ||||||
3 | ?–0 |
Honours
editGalt FC
St Bernard's
Dundee
Motherwell
- Lanarkshire Cup: 1911–12[12]
Dunfermline Athletic
Peterhead
- Aberdeenshire Charity Cup: 1920–21[4]
Individual
- Summer Olympic Games top-scorer: 1904[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 122. ISBN 978-1905891610.
- ^ a b "Alexander Hall". Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ a b c "Alex Hall Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Played for Dundee and Motherwell – Sandy Hall". Dundee Football Club – Official Website. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
- ^ a b c "Alexander Hall". Olympedia. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Olympic Football Top Goalscorers". My Football Facts. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Football, Men – Round-Robin, Match #1". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Newcastle United Footballers in the Great War". North East War Memorials Project. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ "Great Teams Galt FC 1904". Canadian Soccer History. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Alex Hall". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Scots hero who won football's first Olympic gold". Scottish Sport History – devoted to our sporting heritage. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
External links
edit- Alexander Hall at the Canadian Soccer Association
- Alexander Hall at Team Canada
- Alexander Hall at Olympics.com
- Alexander Hall at Olympedia